Sebangau National Park

Sebangau is a national park in central Kalimantan, the area is located between Sebangau river and Katingan river, and lies Katingan District Administrative Region, Palangkaraya, Indonesia.

Sebangau National Park Authority (BTNS) is the institution responsible for the management of Sebangau according to the decree of Forestry Ministry No.P.59/Menhut-II/2006 dated June 2, 2006.

Sebangau Tropical Peat Swamp Forest is one of the peat swamp forests left in Central Kalimantan Province. Currently, Sebangau area is an area that became the foundation of society because it can provide very important economic-values and ecological values for the improvement of local life community. Sebangau Peat ecosystems is one of the ecosystem which is still in relatively good condition compared with the surrounding area and is an area that plays a crucial role for carbon storage and water regulation in the Katingan District, Pulang Pisau and Palangkaraya.

Sebangau peat swamp ecosystem is also one area with ??great importance for the protection and preservation of wildlife. The area is ??secondary forest ecosystems which was formerly and area used for illegal logging activities. However, there are still many stands for wildlife habitat and ecosystem restoration done by BTNS and its partners, so at this moment, BTNS is constantly striving to maintain and restore the original conditions of tropical peat ecosystem in Sebangau.

Flora and Fauna

Based on research results LIPI Field Botany (2007), Sebangau has 809 species of flora, which includes the 128 tribes which 16 species of them have not been identified.

Moreover, in the area of Sebangau there are common species of birds such as PecukUlar, hornbills, Red cangak, etc. Sebangau is also has plenty of fishes in its river, there are fishes like Bapuyu, Cork, Sambaling, etc which also became the economic foundation of society, especially for sources of protein.

Access to Location

Here are some tips on your trip to Sebangau National Park which are mostly done via river with a river taxi ride in the form of wooden motor boat.

From the city of Palangkaraya, the journey starts with public car transportation to the Port Kareng Bangkirai. Another alternative is to rent a car at a cost of about IDR 150,000 (USD 15).

Travel through the river starts from the Port Kareng Bangkirai downstream along the River Sebangau to Pegatan Ports, and it takes about 8 hours. This trip is done using a river taxi, at a price of around IDR 250,000 per person.

From Pegatan the journey is cintnued through Katingan River to the Port District Mendawai which cost about IDR 50,000 per person.

The journey from Palangkaraya to Mendawai District is long enough, it’s up to about 9 hours!

It’s suggested to depart from Palangkaraya in around 6 AM in order to arrive at about 3 PM in Mendawai. The river taxis only operate from 6 AM to 5 PM. The taxi is not allowed to operate at night since the situation in the river is quite dangerous.

If you’re arriving in a village too late at night it’s not advisable to set up a tent. That’s because there are wild boars that might suddenly attack. It’s always better to choose to spend the night at locals home. In Mendawai District there is only one inn with ten rooms at a price of about IDR 30,000 per night. The minimum time that must be provided for travelling to the Sebangau National Park is 3 days with the total cost of the trips from Palangkaraya to Mendawai District is at least IDR 500,000.

And it’s strongly advised to bring enough food and beverages because the price of food at the stalls along the journey can reach two-fold higher than in Palangkaraya.